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Tag Archives: textiles
A Dress Made from a Sari, 1971
I was lucky that a year was printed on the back of this photo, since the dress itself would have been hard to date. The TV is most likely from the sixties, but people used to keep their sets for … Continue reading
Pola Stout in Pola Stout
Since Lizzie Bramlett of the blog The Vintage Traveler has been covering the fascinating work of Hollywood designer Adrian, I remembered an old post I wrote about one of his main textile designers, Pola Stout. I accidentally eliminated it some … Continue reading
Book Review: Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas
First the bad news, then the good: that’s the structure of this book. You can see it in the subtitle—“The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes.” The bad news section of the book, about a fifth of … Continue reading
Those Twenties Textiles
A rule of thumb with sewing is to choose a simple pattern when you have a complex textile. Simple lines will make the fabric shine, while a complicated design might not even show up well. Might this be why the … Continue reading
The Roaman’s Catalog, 1971
While working my way through references to half sizes in Women’s Wear Daily, I discovered a new-to-me source of clothing for larger women, Roaman’s. It is an old company, beginning as a store front in Manhattan. The first ads I … Continue reading
Natalie Chanin’s American-Made Enterprise
If you have ever wondered what it would take—and what it would cost—to bring textile and garment construction back to the United States, designer and ecological visionary Natalie Chanin has some ideas for you. After a career as a garment … Continue reading
Book Review: The Art of Dressing by Tziporah Salamon
Of all the eccentric older women currently having a fashion moment, I like Tziporah Salamon the best. Perhaps it is because I once saw her once on a New York street, as brilliant as a bird of paradise amidst her … Continue reading
Harford Frocks, 1947
When I opened up the 1947 sales kit for a Harford Frocks representative, I was astonished. The cards, housed at the Rubenstein Library at Duke University, looked exactly like those for Fashion Frocks, a much better known company. After some … Continue reading
At the Craft Fair, mid 1970s
These brightly colored pictures might document a women’s club charity sale. Although they have no date, I think they come from the mid 1970s. My first clue was the lime green check pantsuit worn by the woman on the right. … Continue reading
Posted in 1970s
Tagged hair, pants, pantsuits, textile patterns, textiles, women's organizations
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Edith Wharton in Knits, 1920s
If you have read any of Edith Wharton’s novels, you know that she was extremely interested in clothes. Lily Bart’s decline in House of Mirth is indicated when she can no longer afford to keep up with fashion. In The … Continue reading